Blade with parallel corrugated surfaces on inner and outer surfaces

Abstract

A blade includes an airfoil body defined by a concave pressure side outer wall and a convex suction side outer wall that connect along leading and trailing edges and, therebetween, form a radially extending chamber for receiving the flow of a coolant. The airfoil body has an inner surface facing the radially extending chamber and an outer surface, a first corrugated surface on a portion of the outer surface, and a second corrugated surface on the inner surface paralleling the first corrugated surface. The corrugated surface on the outer surface of the airfoil provides wake mixing. The blade may also include an integrally formed impingement cooling structure having a third corrugated surface parallel to the second corrugated surface, which is made possible through additive manufacturing. The impingement cooling structure so formed provides improved cooling of the blade.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A blade comprising:
 an airfoil body defined by a concave pressure side outer wall and a convex suction side outer wall that connect along leading and trailing edges and, therebetween, form a radially extending chamber for receiving a flow of a coolant, the airfoil body having an outer surface and an inner surface facing the radially extending chamber; 
 a first radially extending corrugated surface on a portion of the outer surface; 
 a second corrugated surface on the inner surface paralleling the first corrugated surface; and 
 an impingement cooling structure formed integral with the airfoil body and positioned within the radially extending chamber, the impingement cooling structure including a portion of an outer surface thereof having a third corrugated surface paralleling the second corrugated surface on the inner surface of the airfoil body, 
 wherein a spacing-distance between the third corrugated surface of the impingement cooling structure and the second corrugated surface on the inner surface of the airfoil body is fixed. 
 
     
     
       2. The blade of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of internal supports positioning the impingement cooling structure relative to the radially extending chamber, and wherein the airfoil body and the impingement cooling structure include a plurality of integral material layers that also include the plurality of internal supports. 
     
     
       3. The blade of  claim 2 , further comprising a passage extending from an inside of the impingement cooling structure through at least one of the plurality of internal supports and the airfoil body to an outer surface of the airfoil body. 
     
     
       4. The blade of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of internal supports couples the trailing edge of the airfoil body to the impingement cooling structure. 
     
     
       5. The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body extends along at least one of the concave pressure side outer wall and the convex suction side outer wall from the trailing edge to the leading edge. 
     
     
       6. The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body includes a first section that extends only partially along at least one of the concave pressure side outer wall and the convex suction side outer wall from the trailing edge towards the leading edge. 
     
     
       7. The blade of  claim 6 , wherein the portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body further includes a second section extending from the leading edge partially towards the trailing edge, and a third section, radially spaced from the second section, extending from the leading edge partially towards the trailing edge. 
     
     
       8. The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body includes the trailing edge. 
     
     
       9. The blade of  claim 1 , wherein each corrugated surface includes surfaces extending at no greater than 45° relative to horizontal. 
     
     
       10. The blade of  claim 1 , wherein the airfoil body and the impingement cooling structure include a plurality of integral material layers. 
     
     
       11. A blade comprising:
 an airfoil body defined by a concave pressure side outer wall and a convex suction side outer wall that connect along a leading edge and a crenulated trailing edge and, therebetween, form a radially extending chamber, the airfoil body having an inner surface facing the radially extending chamber and an outer surface; 
 an impingement cooling structure positioned within the radially extending chamber, the impingement cooling structure integrally formed with the airfoil body and including:
 a corrugated outer surface positioned adjacent and paralleling a corrugated portion of the inner surface of the crenulated trailing edge of the airfoil body. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The blade of  claim 11 , wherein the airfoil body and the impingement cooling structure include a plurality of integral material layers. 
     
     
       13. The blade of  claim 12 , further comprising a plurality of internal supports positioning the impingement cooling structure relative to the radially extending chamber, and wherein the plurality of integral material layers also include the plurality of internal supports. 
     
     
       14. The blade of  claim 13 , further comprising a passage extending from an inside of the impingement cooling structure through at least one of the plurality of internal supports and the airfoil body to the outer surface of the airfoil body. 
     
     
       15. The blade of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a first corrugated surface on a portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body; and 
 a second corrugated surface on the inner surface of the airfoil body paralleling the first corrugated surface. 
 
     
     
       16. The blade of  claim 15 , wherein the portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body extends along at least one of the concave pressure side outer wall and the convex suction side outer wall from the trailing edge to the leading edge. 
     
     
       17. The blade of  claim 15 , wherein the portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body includes a first section that extends only partially along at least one of the concave pressure side outer wall and the convex suction side outer wall from the trailing edge towards the leading edge. 
     
     
       18. The blade of  claim 17 , wherein the portion of the outer surface of the airfoil body further includes a second section extending from the leading edge partially towards the trailing edge, and a third section, radially spaced from the second section, extending from the leading edge partially towards the trailing edge. 
     
     
       19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing code representative of a blade, the blade physically generated upon execution of the code by a computerized additive manufacturing system, the code comprising:
 code representing the blade, the blade including:
 an airfoil body defined by a concave pressure side outer wall and a convex suction side outer wall that connect along leading and trailing edges and, therebetween, form a radially extending chamber, the airfoil body having an inner surface facing the radially extending chamber and an outer surface; 
 a first radially extending corrugated surface on a portion of the outer surface; 
 a second corrugated surface on the inner surface paralleling the first corrugated surface; and 
 an impingement cooling structure formed integral with the airfoil body and positioned within the radially extending chamber, the impingement cooling structure including a portion of an outer surface thereof having a third corrugated surface paralleling the second corrugated surface on the inner surface of the airfoil body, 
 wherein a spacing-distance between the third corrugated surface of the impingement cooling structure and the second corrugated surface on the inner surface of the airfoil body is fixed. 
 
 
     
     
       20. The storage medium of  claim 19 , further comprising a plurality of internal supports positioning the impingement cooling structure relative to the radially extending chamber.